EP0172298B1

EP0172298B1 - Method for making thioether(bisphthalimide)s

Info

Publication number: EP0172298B1
Application number: EP85100883A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Thomas Lane Evans
Original assignee: General Electric Co
Current assignee: General Electric Co
Priority date: 1984-02-02
Filing date: 1985-01-29
Publication date: 1991-09-11
Also published as: EP0172298A3; JPS60188368A; EP0172298A2; US4625037A; DE3584056D1

Description

The present invention concerns a new method for synthesizing thioether(bisphthalimide)s which are useful as intermediates for making polytherimides and also as plasticizers, fire retardants, and antioxidants in organic polymers. The invention concerns a method of converting N-substituted halophthalimides and nithrophthalimides to thioether(bisphthalimide)s utilizing an alkali metal hydrogen sulfide (herein referred to as "MHS") instead of an alkali metal sulfide (M₂S), where M is an alkali metal.
This method was discovered when attempts were made to prepare 4-N-methylphthalimide hydrogen sulfide. Surprisingly, the predominant product was 4,4'bis(N-methylphthalimide) from the reaction of a 1:1 mole ratio of sodium hydrogen sulfide to 4-chloro-N-methylphthalimide.
A method for synthesizing thioether(bisphthalimide)s from a reaction of an alkali metal sulfide and an N-substituted phthalmide has been accomplished and disclosed in U.S. Patent Number 4,054,584.
The own prior filed EP 108 682 describes a method for making diarylthioethers which comprises heating a mixture of an anhydrous sulfide compound of the formula M₂S and alkali metal hydrogen- sulfides of the formula MHS with N-substituted phthalimid compounds in the presence of a phase transfer catalyst.
Starting from this state of the art it was found that utilizing MHS has advantages over the use of an alkali metal sulfide such as the ease of drying the hydrated form of MHS (MHS 2H₂O where M is an alkali metal) as compared to drying the hydrated form of an alkali metal sulfide (M₂S 9H₂O, where M is an alkali metal prior to their use in synthesizing thioether(bisphthalimide)s. Also, the alkali metal hydrogen sulfides have improved solubility over alkali metal sulfides in organic solvents and therefore a smaller amount of solvent is required to facilitate reaction with phthalimides. This is particularly important since using dipolar aprotic solvents is costly. This improved solubility also permits higher yields to be obtained when using nonpolar solvents and a phase transfer catalyst than when utilising alkali metal sulfides. This process has produced yields of thioether(bisphthalimide)s of over 40 percent with nonpolar solvents (see example 5). This is important when attempting to avoid the use of the costly dipolar aprotic solvents. In addition, a product of the reaction process is H₂S, which can be converted to the desired alkali metal hydrogen sulfide and recycled to the reaction process.
Included among the compounds provided by the method of the present invention are thioether(bisphthalimide)s of the formula,

where R is a monovalent radical selected from C_(1-8) alkyl and C_(6-20) aromatic hydrocarbon radicals. These compounds may be converted by a known process to the corresponding anhydrides of the formula,

These thioether(bisphthalic anhydrides) of formula II may be employed as antioxidants in organic compounds, curing agents for epoxy resins, and as monomers in the formation of polyimides for high temperature use.
Not wishing to be bound by theory, it is believed that the thioether(bisphthalimide)s are produced in accordance with the following equations (see Example 7).
It is further believed that the alkali metal hydrogen sulfide acts as a base in removing hydrogen from the 4-n-methylphthalimide hydrogen sulfide initially formed producing an intermediate and H₂S. This intermediate is then converted to thioether(bisphthalimide)s by combining with the 4-chloro-N-methylphthalimide present in the reaction mixture.
The method for making the thioether(bisphthalimde)s of the formula

comprises:

a) heating at 25°C to 150°C an anhydrous mixture comprising N-substituted phthalimide of the formula,
and an alkali metal hydrogen sulfide in the presence of triethyamine or tributylamine, and (1) a dipolar aprotic solvent or (2) a nonpolar organic solvent with an effective amount of a phosphonium salt phase transfer catalyst of the formula, P(R')₄⁺Br⁻, and
b) precipitating the thioether(bisphthalimide) product from said mixture:

_(1-8)

_(6-20)

_(1-6)

_(6-13)

The presence of the base such as triethylamine or tributylamine increases the yield of thioether(bisphthalimide)s.
The alkali metal hydrogen sulfide (MHS) contains an alkali metal (M) such as sodium, potassium, lithium, etc. The alkali metal hydrogen sulfide may be in the hydrated form MHS 2H₂O or in the anhydrous form. Sodium hydrogen sulfide (NaHS) is the preferred alkali metal sulfide used to produce the thioether(bispthalimide)s.
The N-substituted phthalimides are of the formula

where X is either a nitro radical or a halo radical selected from fluoro, chloro, bromo and iodo; and R is a monovalent radical selected from C_(1-8) alkyl radicals and C_(6-20) aromatic radicals. Examples of radicals represented by R include, for example, methyl, ethyl, propyl, pentyl, octyl, isopropyl, etc.; and phenyl, tolyl, xylyl, naphthyl, chlorophenyl, bromotolyl, etc.
Some of the N-substituted halophthalimides and nitrophthalimides of formula III include, for example, 4-chloro-N-methylphthalmide, 4-chloro-N-phenylphthalimide, 4-nitro-N-methylphthalimide, etc. The preferred N-substituted phthalimides are 4-chloro-N-methylphthalimide and 4-nitro-methylphthalimide, which produce high yields of bis(thioetherphthalimide) when employed in a reaction having a molar ratio 4-chloro-N-methylphthalimide to the alkali metal hydrogen sulfide of 2:1.
The N-substituted phthalimide of formula III can be made by effecting reaction between substantially equal moles of organic amines, RNH₂ (where R is as previously defined), and a substituted phthalic anhydride of the formula,

where x has been previously defined. Included by RNH₂ are organic amines such as aniline, toluidine, methylamine, ethylamine, etc.
The dipolar aprotic solvents which can be utilized include, for example, dimethylformamide dimethylsulfoxide, dimethylacetamide, etc. Mixtures of such diplar aprotic solvents with nonpolar solvents such as, for example, toluene, chlorobenzene, dichlorobenzene, etc., may also be employed. These nonpolar solvents, such as toluene, may be used without a dipolar aprotic solvent if a phosphonium salt phase transfer catalyst is present. The preferred catalysts are of the formula P(R¹)₄⁺Br, where R¹ is a monovalent radical selected from the group consisting of C_(1-16) alkyl radicals and C_(6-13) aromatic carbocyclic radicals. These catalysts include, for example, tetrabutylphosphonium bromide, tetraphenylphosphonium bromide and tetracyclohexylphosphonium bromide and tetracyclohexylphosphonium bromide, etc. Tetrabutylphosphonium bromide is the preferred catalyst where a nonpolar solvent is employed, which is preferably toluene. However, the use of dipolar aprotic solvents such as, for example, dimethylformamide and dimethylacetamide, produces higher yields than nonpolar solvents since the formation of thioether(bisphthalimide)s is faster in dipolar aprotic solvents.
To effect the reaction, the solution containing the alkali metal hydrogen sulfide and N-substituted phthalimide is maintained at a temperature in the range of 25°C to 150°c, and preferably in the range of 70°C to 150°C for a period ranging from 2 to 24 hours or more, depending upon the temperature, solvent utilized, the degree of agitation, ingredients used, etc.
The thioether(bisphthalimide) product is recovered from the resulting mixture by a precipitation process. Adding water to the reaction mixture is the preferred method to cause the product to precipitate from the solution. Cooling the reaction mixture is an alternative method. The precipitate is filtered, dried, and recrystallized from an organic solvent, such as a 90:10 weight mixture of dichlorobenzene and heptane respectively.
Some of the thioether(bisphthalimide)s that are produced are, for example, 3,3'-bis(N-methylphthalimide) sulfide, 4,4'-bis(N-methylphthalimide) sulfide; 3,3'-bis(N-phenylphthalimide) sulfide; 4,4'-bis(N-phenylphthalimide)sulfide; 3,3'-bis(n-butylphthalimide) sulfide; 4,4'-bis(N-butylphthalimide)sulfide; 3,4-bis(phenylphthalimide)sulfide, etc.
In order that those skilled in the art will be better able to practice the invention, the following examples are given by way of illustration and not by way of limitation.

Example 1.

To dry dimethylformamide (30 ml) here added 4-chloro-N-methylphthalimide (1.0g, 0.0051 mol), sodium hydrogen sulfide (0.14g, 0.0025 mol), biphenyl (0.20g, 0.0013 mol) and triethylamine (0.4 ml, 0.0025 mol). The solution was heated to 145°C for 12 hours. A sample of the reaction mixture was added to a dimethylformamide solution containing ethyl bromide and examined by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) which indicated an 84% yield of 4,4'-bis(N-methylphthalimide)sulfide. The remaining reaction mixture was then added to water, the formed precipitate collected, dried, and recrystallized from a 90:10 weight mixture of o-dichlorobenzene and heptane. An isolated purified yield of 80% product (0.72g) was obtained, which had a melting point of 239°C.

Example 2.

To a reaction vessel containing dimethylacetamide (25 ml) were added 4-nitro-N-methylphthalimide (0.50g, 0.00243 mol), biphenyl (0.204g, 0.00132 mol) and sodium hydrogen sulfide (0.14g, 0.0025 mol). The reaction was allowed to proceed at 70°C for 24 hours. samples of the reaction mixture were taken and examined by HPLC methods. A yield of 16.3% 4,4'bis(N-methylphthalimide)sulfide was indicated. The isolated yield was 15% (0.035g).

Example 3.

The following were added to a reaction vessel: 4-chloro-N-methylphthalimide (0.53g, 0.0027 mol), sodium hydrogen sulfide (0.07g, 0.00125 mol), triethylamine (0.2 ml, 0.0014 mol), tetrabutylphosphonium bromide (0.15g, 0.00044 mol) and dry toluene (40 ml). The reaction was allowed to proceed at reflux (approximately 145°C) for 18 hours. The reaction mixture was sampled and tested by HPLC, which indicated a yield of 4,4'-bis(N-methylphthalimide) sulfide of 48.2%. The isolated yield was 45% (0.21g).

Example 4.

To a reaction vessel were added 4-nitro-N-methylphthalimide (0.51g, 0. 00248 mol), sodium hydrogen sulfide (0.07g, 0.00125 mol), biphenyl (0.204g, 0.00132 mol), triethylamine (0.2 ml, 0.0014 mol), tetrabutylphosphonium bromide (0.15g, 0.00044 mol) and dry toluene (40 ml). The reaction mixture was allowed to proceed at reflux (approximately 145°C) for 18 hours. The reaction mixture was sampled and tested by HPLC which indicated a yield of 4,4'-bis(N-methylphthalimide)sulfide of 10% (0.04g).

Example 5.

This example was run to investigate the mechanism of the reaction between the alkali metal hydrogen sulfides and the N-substituted halophthalimides.
To dimethylformamide (30 ml) were added 4-chloro-N-methylphthalimide (0.0986g, 0.0051 mol), sodium hydrogen sulfide (0.15g, 0.00125 mol). The reaction mixture was heated to 120°C for 18 hours. A sample of the reaction mixture was recovered and examined by HPLC. A 35% yield (0.31g) of thioether(bis N-methylphthalimide) was obtained and a 50% yield (0.25g) of the intermediate 4-N-methylphthalimide hydrogen sulfide was obtained.
It should be understood that the above examples represent only a limited number of bisimide sulfides of formula I which can be made in accordance with the practice of the invention.

Claims

A method of making thioether(bisphthalimide)s of the formula
which comprises:
a) heating at 25°C to 150°C an anhydrous mixture comprising N-substituted phthalimide of the formula,
and an alkali metal hydrogen sulfide in the presence of triethylamine or tributylamine, and (1) a dipolar aprotic solvent or (2) a nonpolar organic solvent with an effective amount of a phosphonium salt phase transfer catalyst of the formula, P(R')₄⁺Br⁻, and

b) precipitating the thioether(bisphthalimide) product from said mixture:
wherein R is a monovalent radical selected from the group consisting of C_(1-8) alkyl radicals and C_(6-20) aromatic radicals, R' is selected from a group consisting of C_(1-6) alkyl radicals and C(_6-13) aromatic carbocyclic radicals, M is an alkali metal and X is a nitro radical or a halogen radical.
A method in accordance with claim 1 where an organic base is present in said mixture.
A method in accordance with claim 2 where the organic base is triethylamine.
A method in accordance with claim 1 where the thioether(bisphthalimide) product is precipitated by the addition of water.
A method in accordance with claim 1 where the alkali metal hydrogen sulfide is sodium hydrogen sulfide.
A method in accordance with claim 1 where the N-substituted phthalimide is 4-chloro-N-methylphthalimide.
A method in accordance with Claim 1 where said substituted phthalimide is 4-nitro-N-methylphthalimide.
A method in accordance with claim 1 where said dipolar aprotic solvent utilized is selected from the group consisting of dimethylformamide and dimethylacetamide.
A method in accordance with claim 1 where said nonpolar solvent utilized is toluene.
A method in accordance with claim 1 where said phosphonium salt phase transfer catalyst is tetrabutylphosphonium bromide.
A method in accordance with claim 5 where the molar ratio of 4-chloro-N-methylphthalimide to the alkali metal hydrogen sulfide is 2: 1.
A method in accordance with claim 1 where said mixture is heated to a temperature in the range of 70°C to 150°C.
A method of making 4,4'-bis(N-methylphthalimide)sulfide having the formula,
which comprises:
a) heating at 25°C to 150°C an anhydrous mixture of 4-chloro-(N-methylphthalimide) and sodium hydrogen sulfide in the presence of dimethylformamide and triethylamine and

b) precipitating 4,4'-bis(N-methylphthalimide sulfide).
A method of making 4,4-bis(N-methylphthalimide) sulfide having the formula,
which comprises:
a) heating at 25°C to 150°C an anhydrous mixture of 4 chloro(N-methylphthalimide) and sodium hydrogen sulfide in the presence of toluene, triethylamine and an effective amount of tetrabutylphosphonium bromide and

b) precipitating the 4,4'-bis(N-methylphthalimide) sulfide.
A method of making 4,4-bis(N-methylphthalimide) sulfide having the formula:
which comprises
a) heating at 25°C to 150°C an anhydrous mixture of 4-Nitro-(N-methylphthalimide) and sodium hydrogen sulfide in the presence of dimethylformamide and triethylamine;

b) precipitating 4,4'-bis(N-methylphthalimide) sulfide.